Marketing Yourself to Find a New Job

As people move up in the world of sales marketing management it becomes less common to move jobs as a result of the traditional methods such as answering job adverts or going through employment agencies. There are certainly agencies that cater for executive posts so it’s not unheard of, but even so personal networking is what will lead an agency to find you for a specific role.

In the modern world much of that networking is done through the internet but offline networking still delivers. The purpose of personal networking, whether it's online or offline, is to create an image for yourself that will attract the right people when they are looking for a sales marketing manager.

Care and Diligence

Networking on the internet requires care and diligence. Care because one slip-up is very likely to be squirreled away for posterity. An entry on a social networking site describing the obscene antics you got up to while on a bender as a youngster could well harm your career prospects some years down the line.

Diligence because a lot of the creation of an image for yourself is about making relevant and cogent comments on other sites in order to raise your profile. Raising your profile is done on two levels, firstly psychologically, in that you are creating the appropriate image in people's minds, and secondly technically, getting your name to come up when people are searching for sales marketing management professionals.

Horses For Courses

How much of this online activity you perform depends on how likely you think it is that you will get your next appointment through the internet. If you are a consultant sales marketing manager, working for yourself and responsible for finding your own jobs, you might well put a lot of time into surfing the various networking and industry sites, commenting as necessary.

If you prefer permanent employed positions then this is less likely to be a priority for you but it is still worth putting some time into creating a polished, professional image through the relevant forums and networking sites. Even if are more likely to find your next appointment through the agencies or job adverts, prospective employers may well still look you up on the net to find out what's out there.

Traditional Marketing Opportunities

Marketing yourself offline still has its place. Someone who is well known in the industry and whose values and principles have been demonstrated over a period of time is more likely to be offered new positions as and when they come up. As you get to the top of any profession there are fewer and fewer suitable posts available so personal networking can be the best way to find out about upcoming vacancies.

Participation in industry bodies, speaking at conferences, exhibitions and other events will get your face known. But be careful not to overdo it as you'll get a reputation for schmoozing more than working. Pick the events that will further your career and only agree to present papers or give talks if they are in areas that you are expert in and want to continue working in.

Stay on Message

Marketing yourself, regardless of the medium, is all about deciding what you are about and then giving out messages that support that. As a sales marketing management professional you should have the skills to be able to do that.